Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu: Pioneering Excellence in Public Service Leadership.

In the heart of Edo State, Nigeria, a visionary leader emerged to steer the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) to unprecedented heights. Her name is Precious Imuwahen Ogbomo Ajoonu. Appointed as the Pioneer Director-General of JOOPSA under the Governor Obaseki-led administration to strengthen public service delivery of the Make Edo Great Again (MEGA) Agenda Imuwahen Ajoonu embarked on a mission to institutionalize excellence. 

 

Her vision and mandate was to transform JOOPSA into a premier learning hub for civil and public servants across Africa. With global standards as her compass, she set sail, determined to empower the next generation of leaders. 

 

Before JOOPSA, Imuwahen held various roles. As the Head of Youth Engagement and Learning at Jobberman Nigeria, she spearheaded the implementation of the ambitious MasterCard Foundation project. This $25 million initiative aimed to upskill five million young Nigerians and place three million of them in dignified work by 2024. Her impact reverberated far beyond borders, reaching Angola, Ghana, Chad, Kenya, South Africa, and the Benin Republic. 

 

Imuwahen forged strategic partnerships with global giants like Cisco, HP, and Nexford. These collaborations fueled JOOPSA’s growth, enhancing human capital and driving service-wide cost reduction. Her toolkit included change management, soft skills development, and diversity and inclusion training. 

 

She is comfortable at all levels of business, drawing from over 15 years of experience as a senior executive and consultant. One of her crowning achievements was the enactment of the JOOPSA law. This legislation solidified JOOPSA’s role as a beacon of knowledge, equipping civil and public servants with the skills needed to navigate a rapidly changing world.

 

In addition, the BRACED commission selected JOOPSA as the central hub for training and retraining the BRACED states, comprising Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Edo, and Delta states. 

 

Furthermore, in 2024, Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu's influential work was acknowledged by the African Managers Institute, leading to her induction into their esteemed list of Top Disruptive Enterprise L&D Leaders.

 

AMI was established in 2014 by Jonathan Cook, who was the former director of South Africa’s Gordon Institute of Business Science, and Rebecca Harrison, a foreign correspondent and social entrepreneur. which shared vision was to empower a million skilled managers and entrepreneurs to build successful businesses, generate employment, and drive Africa's progress. AMI was created as a better way to learn, and with the right tools and habits, entrepreneurs and managers across the continent can be equipped to lead Africa's advancement

dynamic African markets. 

 

Imuwahen name echoed across boardrooms and corridors, inspiring others to reimagine public service. As the sun sets over Edo State, Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu continues to shape the future. Her legacy and legacy of Governor Obaseki’s innovations as a testament to passion, resilience, and unwavering commitment. She further thanked Governor Obaseki for the opportunity. 

 

The story of JOOPSA and its Director-General is etched in the annals of leadership – a beacon for generations to come.

 

 

Odigie Etinosa N.

PRO JOOPSA